Abstract:

International trends, however, show that learning has become a basic activity by now, where applying state of the art tools and methods to acquire knowledge quickly and efficiently is important both for individuals and organizations. It is recognized to an increasing extent by modern commercial and public service organizations and usually deeply transforms the culture of modern universities. The teachers play an essential role in these changes and development processes and the universities have a reasonable grasp of the learning technology and pedagogic aspects of e-learning and have installed adequate IT systems and staff development to change their teaching and learning environment.

We are heading for a “threshold”, with the events of previous years pointing to developing a complex e-learning policy at universities where the relevant conditions have been continuously improving. Digitalization of the content of education and on-line e-learning courses are also conceivably successful and easily applied in new projects (technology transfer, non-formal training and vocational training). Sustainability has become an increasingly important issue in maintaining and continuously applying the results of e-learning development, digitalization the content of education and the operation of the relevant framework systems. The university has to face this challenge, particularly because the problem cannot be tackled efficiently in the current small-scale system, at the level of departments and institutions making independent decisions in the question. The conservative approach of the university to new initiatives in the field of educational innovation mostly roots in its general attitude. We should note here that “new” institutions of higher education are much more open-minded regarding e-learning systems such as MOOC. Decisions related to e-learning according to the standard university procedures in the case of new experiments or international projects and co-operations, this procedure is sufficient and results in innovative solutions.

Recognizing this trend ourselves, we regularly organise trainings for trainers addressing topics such as new learning theories (like connectivism), atypical learning, the LLL approach, new results in the field of ICT tools supporting learning and education, online learning, the theory and methods of e-learning and some aspects of its application in practice.

Our project on “E-teaching Culture and Digital Content Development” to be implementing between 2013 and 2015 aims at developing content, methodologies and services related to the competitiveness of higher education and structural changes and meeting the challenges of knowledge-based economies. Matching the peculiarities of higher education, we develop methodology trainings for complex subjects to develop the educational competences needed for designing and applying complex curriculum units in the training of teachers. The basic idea was to provide a base for a new, medium-term research and development project that will aim at applying the developed methods and procedures in practice, designing and applying new e-learning curricula. The majority of these programs have been integrated into the regular university curricula; these are continuously applied and updated in each semester.

Keywords:

e-learning, digital content, learning environment, on-line e-learning courses.